Genetic determinants at the interface of cancer and neurodegeneration.

Common factors and overlapping pathways can be identified in the progression of both cancer and neurodegeneration. A number of molecules genetically associated with these diseases are kinases and/or play a role in apoptosis, cell cycle, and DNA repair. Protein degradation pathways are often disturbed in both cancer and neurodegeneration. Mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress are also shown to cause both diseases. Finally, the autophagic lysosomal pathway is increasingly recognised as playing a major role in the physiopathological mechanisms associated with both the disorders. Importantly, all these processes are regulated during aging, the first risk factor for both cancer and neurodegeneration.In bold—Strong genetic association with neurodegeneration.In italic—Strong genetic association with cancer.In bold and in italic—Strong genetic association with both cancer and neurodegeneration.